Is competitive video gaming a "sport"? I think it can be but some might disagree.
Sept 15, 2018 23:32:47 GMT
Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2018 23:32:47 GMT
Sports, as generally defined, are activities requiring physical exertion and skill where an individual (or team) competes against another individual (or team). So I'd like to break that definition down to explain my rationale for why competitive video gaming can indeed be considered a sport.
Given they do entail a player or team of players competing against another player or team of players, it unarguably gets a check here. It is a competition between people. However, do they require skill and physical exertion?
Well, they do require skill. Tactics and strategy are necessary skills to play competitively: knowing what your opponent is doing, how to counter it, anticipating reactions to your counter, when to retreat, feint, or push forward, and so forth... these are higher-level skills required to succeed in many competitive sports. Certain games also require quick reaction time and muscle-memory, skillful maneuvering and positional awareness-- basically the building blocks that make tactical and strategic play possible. No matter how you dice it, competitive video games do require some level of skill to succeed at. So I think we can give it a check here, as well.
Which brings us to the elephant in the room: physical exertion. Is it physically exerting to play video games? After all, you're just twiddling your thumbs and fingers around on a controller or clicking your mouse and pressing buttons on a keyboard while you sit in a cozy chair. You're hardly running around, breaking a sweat, and getting yourself covered with grass stains and mud. But I would argue that it can indeed qualify as a sport under this definition as well-- with a caveat.
If you've ever played a video game for a good amount of time, you'll notice that your thumbs and fingers get sore and even develop callouses, perhaps your forearms get sore if you're using a joystick (as a Robotron 2084 veteran, I've experienced it); in any event, you are physically exerting yourself. It's not like chess or poker where you are only rarely using your body. You are constantly using your hands dexterously and it does take a physical toll. Is it as extreme as the toll taken on a footballer or a basketball player? Absolutely not, but it is not non-existent either. Bowling and archery, for example, are considered to be sports but they are also low impact. It takes strength and precision to be successful at either but I would also argue it takes strength (or more accurately, endurance) and precision to be successful at a competitive video game.
The caveat? It should not be applied to every video game. Games that require few physically exerting inputs from the player-- such as Hearthstone (a card game) or League of Legends-- should not be considered sports. However, fighting games or any sort of game where you walk away with blistered thumbs and sore fingers, absolutely should qualify as a sport by definition.
Agree or disagree?
Given they do entail a player or team of players competing against another player or team of players, it unarguably gets a check here. It is a competition between people. However, do they require skill and physical exertion?
Well, they do require skill. Tactics and strategy are necessary skills to play competitively: knowing what your opponent is doing, how to counter it, anticipating reactions to your counter, when to retreat, feint, or push forward, and so forth... these are higher-level skills required to succeed in many competitive sports. Certain games also require quick reaction time and muscle-memory, skillful maneuvering and positional awareness-- basically the building blocks that make tactical and strategic play possible. No matter how you dice it, competitive video games do require some level of skill to succeed at. So I think we can give it a check here, as well.
Which brings us to the elephant in the room: physical exertion. Is it physically exerting to play video games? After all, you're just twiddling your thumbs and fingers around on a controller or clicking your mouse and pressing buttons on a keyboard while you sit in a cozy chair. You're hardly running around, breaking a sweat, and getting yourself covered with grass stains and mud. But I would argue that it can indeed qualify as a sport under this definition as well-- with a caveat.
If you've ever played a video game for a good amount of time, you'll notice that your thumbs and fingers get sore and even develop callouses, perhaps your forearms get sore if you're using a joystick (as a Robotron 2084 veteran, I've experienced it); in any event, you are physically exerting yourself. It's not like chess or poker where you are only rarely using your body. You are constantly using your hands dexterously and it does take a physical toll. Is it as extreme as the toll taken on a footballer or a basketball player? Absolutely not, but it is not non-existent either. Bowling and archery, for example, are considered to be sports but they are also low impact. It takes strength and precision to be successful at either but I would also argue it takes strength (or more accurately, endurance) and precision to be successful at a competitive video game.
The caveat? It should not be applied to every video game. Games that require few physically exerting inputs from the player-- such as Hearthstone (a card game) or League of Legends-- should not be considered sports. However, fighting games or any sort of game where you walk away with blistered thumbs and sore fingers, absolutely should qualify as a sport by definition.
Agree or disagree?
